For 20 years, our Lest We Forget poetry competition has provided an opportunity for people of all ages to pause, reflect, and commemorate Anzac Day through poetry and creative expression. Auckland War Memorial Museum is deeply grateful to everyone who has shared their words, memories, and reflections over the past two decades.
Since 2006, the competition has received more than 2,000 entries from students and adult poets across Tāmaki Makaurau and beyond.
To mark the 20th and final competition, entrants were invited to respond to the theme He Ara Whakamua – Pathways Forward. The theme encouraged participants to reflect on remembrance, continuity, and the future.
The competition was open to all ages across three categories:
- 18 years and over
- 12–17 years
- 11 years and under
Finalists from each category were invited to read their poems in the Museum auditorium on Anzac Day morning. The Museum was also pleased to welcome New Zealand Poet Laureate Robert Sullivan, who acknowledged this year’s finalists and reflected on the legacy of the competition before sharing readings from his own work.
The Museum also gratefully acknowledges Eddie Mann, who sponsored the competition in memory of his late wife, Michele Mann, a dedicated supporter of the competition from 2019 onwards.
FINALISTS AGES 11 AND UNDER
He Ara Whakamua – Pathways Forward
Angelina Wang
Vietnam War
Minh Anh Nguyen
(read by Museum staff member)
He Ara Whakamua Pathways Forward - Step
Milly Song
FINALISTS AGES 12-17
Untitled
Edward Jing
Remembrance
Elizabeth Walker
(read by Museum staff member)
From Sacrifice to Sunrise
Grace Hollins
FINALISTS AGES 18+
ANZAC Day
Perena Quinlivan
Lost Property
Natasha Jackson
(read by Museum staff member)
Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua
Hope Nelson (no video)
Anzac Day 2026 marked the final Lest We Forget poetry competition as the Museum looks toward new forms of commemoration and community participation. Future initiatives will continue to provide opportunities for people to share reflections, memories, and messages of remembrance in different ways.
Over the past 20 years, the competition created space for people to reflect on service, loss, hope, and remembrance through poetry. It brought together students, families, emerging writers, and community voices, each sharing their own perspectives and experiences. Auckland War Memorial Museum sincerely thanks all those who took part, supported, judged, sponsored, and contributed over the years.
We will remember them
Ka maumahara tonu tātou ki a rātou
Cite this article
Online Cenotaph staff.
Lest We Forget Poetry Competition 2026. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 6 May 2026. Updated: 7 May 2026.
URL: www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/2026-Poetry